On Meet the Press author makes case that without white supremacy there would be no President Trump.

Courtesy of Media Matters: 

CHUCK TODD (HOST): This is what you wrote about in the election, you were not subtle in pointing the blame directly at systemic racism and bigotry. And this is what you write: "The implications that systemic bigotry is still central to our politics, that the country is susceptible to such bigotry, that the salt of the earth Americans whom we lionize in our culture and politics are not so different than those same Americans who grin back in lynching photos are just too dark. Instead, the response has been an argument aimed at emotion, the summoning of the white working class, emblem of America’s hardscrabble roots, inheritor of it's pioneer spirit as a shield against the horrific and empirical evidence of trenchant bigotry." You've said even tougher words about this president. 

TA-NEHISI COATES: I have, yeah. 

TODD: You don't think he'd be here without white supremacy. 

COATES: No, no, I don’t. 

TODD: Explain that. 

COATES: Well, I think it's pretty easy. I mean, you have a political candidate who literally begins his presence or his campaign in birtherism. That was how it started. I don't think birtherism was a mistake and it wasn't a minority-held opinion – it wasn’t a small minority held opinion within the Republican Party. You had eight years of an African-American president, and if not majority to at least plurality of the Republican Party believed that Barack Obama was not legitimate because he was not born here. And Donald Trump saw that, played on that, and that was how he launched his campaign. I just don't think that was a mistake. And he's continued with that all the way through. You have a president who had no problem going on TV saying, "Someone can't judge me, a federal judge can’t judge my case because he's a Mexican," it doesn't get much more explicit than that. TODD: Solely a reaction to the election of Barack Obama? 

COATES: Yes. 

TODD: Do we have -- do we get Donald Trump without Barack Obama as president? 

COATES: I don't think so. I don't think without that reaction. That doesn't mean there weren't other factors contributing to a Trump presidency ultimately. I would argue that white supremacy is an indispensable factor. Which does not mean there weren't other factors that were there too. But I think if you take that on, no, no. I don’t think it’s a mistake we've never had a president who’s never held political office or never been an independent -- had a military posting or anything at all. No experience with the within the public sphere at all. To just hand it off like that. I think Trump is different. He's not Marco Rubio, he's not Mitt Romney, this is a very, very different thing. And I think 50 years from now, historians are going to ask themselves how this actually happened and I think the answer is going to be the reaction to Barack Obama's presidency.

This is one of those cases of hearing something, and even if you had not already been thinking it, you automatically know it is correct. 

The election of Donald Trump was ABSOLUTELY a racist reaction to President Obama.

There is no doubt about it.

And not only that but Trump KNEW that was where he was going to find his support.

That is why he keeps throwing out red meat to the racists.

Who else can be counted on to respond favorably to calling Mexicans drug dealers, restricting access to America from Muslim countries, defending neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and suggesting that Puerto Ricans are lazy?

No, Coates is right.

Donald Trump is the president the white supremacists feel they deserve, and they hope that his presidency will wipe away the blemish that they feel the Obama presidency left on "their" country.

Two of my favorite people. President Obama honors Stephen King with the National Medal of the Arts.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting:

Prolific horror author Stephen King has been awarded the 2014 National Medal of the Arts for, “…his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature.” The award was created in 1984 by the United States Congress and is the highest honor that can be given to an individual in the arts on behalf of the people of the United States. Below is a video of King being given the medal by President Barack Obama.

Well that puts a smile on my face.

I have had people criticize my love of Stephen King books by suggesting that they are beneath my intellect, but my response is always that I don't read Stephen King books to challenge my mind, I read them to challenge my nerve.

And if you don't think that Stephen King is a talented author than you are allowing your prejudice against certain genres affect your judgement.

When it comes to creating worlds filled with horrifying escapism, Mr. King is in a league of his own.

Andrew Sullivan on the passing of Joe McGinniss.

Courtesy of The Dish:  

Of course, we bonded over the former half-term governor. He reached out to me when I was wildly exposed among journalists for refusing to believe her stories at face value. And what we bonded over was not a mutual revulsion at her politics. What we bonded over was the abject failure of the American press to say what had to be said about this preposterous, delusional maniac plucked from deserved obscurity by John McCain to be a heartbeat away from a potential presidency. 

Her candidacy was a total farce; a disgrace; an outrage to American democracy; an appalling act of cynicism. Joe saw the creation of this media figure as a continuation of the Ailes recipe for optic politics, and he was appalled as so many mainstream outlets nonetheless insisted on taking this joke seriously. 

So he went to do what others wouldn’t: to find the real truth about Palin, and he came closer than almost anyone. 

I don’t see his last book as some kind of aberration, though it was obviously not in the same league as The Selling Of The President or Fatal Vision. I saw them all as a continuing crusade for a journalism that takes a stand, that welcomes obloquy if that’s what it takes to get to the truth, and that cares about our democracy. He would never have aimed for the “view from nowhere” or the facile mantra that one leading Washington journalist gave me when asked to explain why they hadn’t sought any proof for the fantastic Trig story that Palin spun: “Why ask questions when you know you won’t get an answer?” For Joe that was pathetic. As indeed it was.

There were a number of things that surprised me about Joe McGinniss.

His incredible love of Alaska, his love of strong drink, his tenacity, and his ability to befriend all manner of different people.

He was good friends, and I mean really good friends, with people from all walks of life.

At a party I attended in his rented house on Lake Lucille I discussed politics with an oil company spokesman, a mountain guide, an out of town journalist, and a few fellow Alaskans who had met and befriended Joe when he wrote "Going to Extremes."

Yet the friendships that he shared with Roger Ailes and Andrew Sullivan were perhaps the two which really demonstrated his capacity to welcome into his life people of quite extreme differences.

Ailes of course did not like Sarah Palin at all, something which I learned well before the public at large (Though Joe swore me to secrecy.), and only used her to attract viewers and to rake in advertising dollars.

Sullivan, as all of you well know, was the last real journalist standing on the hunt for the truth about Trig's birth.

Joe once told me that he had been hesitant about even approaching that subject, since he knew it would open the book to ridicule, but that he had been very impressed with the reporting by Andrew and myself, and came to realize that he could not write a book about Palin without addressing it.

He would never openly admit that he knew that she lied about the circumstances of the birth, but in conversations and e-mails it was pretty clear that he did not buy her story one little bit.

Sullivan also shared this e-mail that McGinniss sent him: 

My shrink asked me this afternoon if I thought my book was a factor in Palin’s decision not to run. I said, “It might have been. It certainly didn’t tip her toward running. She may well have seen what one lone reporter turned up in four months and realized what teams from MSM outlets might learn in twelve, as they would have done over the next year, if she’d run.” 

She said, “In that case, the people of the United States will be eternally in your debt.”

In that I am in total agreement.

Thank you Joe we owe you so very much.

P.S. For those who want to go on a trip down memory lane, here is a reminder of the e-mail exchange between Joe and I that the Right Wing tried to use to sabotage sales of "The Rogue."

Joe McGinniss has died.

I'm sorry to report that Joe McGinniss passed away earlier today.

This from ABC News:  

McGinniss, who announced in 2013 that he had been diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer, died from complications related to his disease. His attorney and longtime friend Dennis Holahan said he died at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass.

Brilliant and opinionated, Joe did not suffer fools lightly but if he called you a friend you were his friend forever. And that even included Roger Ailes, despite their diametrically opposing views on politics.

Joe McGinniss was a very good friend, and frequent source whose information inspired some of my best posts.

I will miss him.

"Waiting to Exhale" author tweets that she would like to "smack Sarah Palin." Man is there a long line of people who feel that way!

If I ever run into Sarah Palin I might smack her.
— Terry McMillan (@MsTerryMcMillan) August 19, 2013

That tweet is from Terry McMillan, author of "Waiting to Exhale" as well as several other well received books.

As you know I do not condone violence against Sarah Palin on this blog, but having said that I certainly DO understand how people can get VERY angry at her constant attacks against he President and inflaming of racial tensions in this country.

To make that point perhaps I should share a few of the Right Wing responses to this tweet courtesy of of Breitbart's asylum for the criminally stupid:

 I bet she would slap her, if she has about 5 of her homies with her. That's the way it's done in the hood. She should try to control her genetically impulsive behavior. The same advice I would have given a member of the Martin family. 

Sit down and shut up blackie 

Sarah Palin hunts, kills and carries moose. My money's on her. 

I hope she smacks the taste out of this idiot's mouth. 

Looks like someone left the primate cage open again 

I look forward to seeing this on Pay-per-View. This idiot racist will be gutted, dressed, and her skin hung on the barn wall to dry. Without Palin messing up her nails. 

American Blacks act like thugs then wonder why White people do not want them around. This female slug should be given a dirt nap like her hero Trayvon if she even reaches toward Palin!

Okay that's enough, my vomit bag is overflowing. 

There are quite a number of responses which accuse this McMillan of being a racist, though I see nothing racist about wanting to slap somebody who infuriates you. And of course those accusations are undermined by the incredible racism demonstrated by these comments.

The other thing that I noted was how completely these idiots bought into the Palin mythology that she is a "frontier woman" who churns her own butter, hunts her own meat, and chops her own wood. In fact NOTHING could be further from the truth which anybody who watched her lame ass reality show could determine for themselves.

Once again I do not condone violence against the Tundra Turd, but if I were a black person watching how she has attacked and ginned up hatred toward the first black president, I am not sure I would feel much different. However I probably would keep those feelings to myself.

My two favorite Stephens.

I don't know why, but this gif cracks me up every time.

I am a huge Stephen King fan and have read just about every singe one of his books. The ONLY book to absolutely terrify me was his book "Pet Semetary," which I finished reading under the covers with a flashlight. (I was in a relationship at the time and my girlfriend did not want me to have the light on all night. By the way, the WORST way to read a Stephen King novel is under the covers with a flashlight. Just so you know.)

As for Colbert, well you know, he's the man!

Prolific author Stephen King uses his talents to throw a scare into the NRA.

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

The best-selling author made an unexpected charge into the national debate on gun violence on Friday with a passionate, angry essay pleading for reform. King, who owns three handguns, aimed the expletive-peppered polemic at fellow gun-owners, calling on them to support a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the wake of the December shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school which left 20 children and six adults dead. "Autos and semi-autos are weapons of mass destruction. When lunatics want to make war on the unarmed and unprepared, these are the weapons they use," King wrote. 

"Here's how it shakes out," the essay begins, before describing 22 ritual steps in which the US experiences a school massacre. Excoriating the media and television voyeurism, he writes: "Sixteenth, what cable news does best now begins, and will continue for the next seventy-two hours: the slow and luxurious licking of tears from the faces of the bereaved." 

King recalls that the fictional schoolboy killer in his 1977 novel Rage, which was published under a pen name, Richard Bachman, resonated with several boys who subsequently rampaged at their own schools. One, Barry Loukaitis, shot dead a teacher and two students in Moses Lake, Washington in 1996, then quoted a line from the novel: "This sure beats algebra, doesn't it?" 

King said he did not apologise for writing Rage – "no, sir, no ma'am" – because it told the truth about high-school alienation and spoke to troubled adolescents who "were already broken". However, he said, he ordered his publisher to withdraw the book because it had proved dangerous. He was not obliged to do so by law – it was protected by the first amendment – but it was the right thing to do. Gun advocates should do the same, he argued. 

The idea that US gun rampages stem from a culture of violence was a "self-serving lie promulgated by fundamentalist religious types and America's propaganda-savvy gun-pimps", he wrote. In reality the US had a "Kardashian culture" which preferred to read and watch comedies, romances and super-heroes, rather than stories involving gun violence. 

Much of the opposition to gun control stemmed from paranoia about the federal government, King argued. "These guys and gals actually believe that dictatorship will follow disarmament, with tanks in the streets of Topeka." 

He assured gun owners that no one wanted to take away their hunting rifles, shotguns or pistols, as long as they held no more than 10 rounds. "If you can't kill a home invader (or your wife, up in the middle of the night to get a snack from the fridge) with ten shots, you need to go back to the local shooting range." 

The mockery continued when he noted semi-automatics had only two purposes: to kill people, and to let their owners go to a shooting range, "yell yeehaw, and get all horny at the rapid fire and the burning vapor spurting from the end of the barrel".

Ooh, I like that last part! You know as frightened as the NRA is of Gabby Giffords, I would advice them to be equally concerned about Stephen King. 

King is easily the most popular, and prolific, American writer of the last fifty years, and has a huge fan base, many of whom I am sure consider themselves to be proud gun owners.

To have him write, as only he can, in such a confrontational manner is going to make some people really have to evaluate why they support allowing access to these types of weapons, and possibly even why they themselves feel the need to own one.

Hell if Stephen King can make someone like me terrified of St. Bernard dogs and clowns named Pennywise, I am sure he can frighten some sense into people about gun violence. Though after what happened at Sandy Hook I am not sure how much more frightening things have to become before people wake up to what is happening in this country.

Joe McGinniss responds to my e-mail.

Immediately after hearing of Joe's condition yesterday I sent him an e-mail to express my concern and offer to help in any way that I can.

Late last night I received an answer, which to be honest I was surprised at, since I assumed Joe was receiving multiple e-mails from friends and supporters and that he probably would not have time to respond any time soon, if at all.

However it was actually a very informative and blunt assessment of his condition and what he is doing to stay healthy for as long as he can.

My intent in sending the e-mail was simply to contact my old friend and provide support. I had no intention of sharing the contents of any response with all of you, except perhaps to let you know he was doing well.

However Joe suggested that I DO share the contents with you, except for some more personally exchanges, so I will.

Here is a portion of Joe's response:  

Fortunately, I feel really good right now. I might even write a piece called "How Prostate Cancer Saved My Life (Before It Killed Me.)" 

I no longer eat red meat, or even skin-on chicken. No dairy (milk, eggs, butter, cheese) except a few ounces of fat-free, unsweetened yogurt into which I mix my Fiber One and raspberries or blueberries in the morning. No bread, no rice, no pasta, no sugar. In other words, none of the foods I've loved and grown fat on over 70 years. 

Instead, it's fish (salmon, salmon, and more salmon), greens (broccoli, kale, mustard greens, etc.) some fruit (blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds) tons of tomatoes, especially cooked, because cooking releases ten times more lycopene, an occasional handful of walnuts or almonds, lots of garlic, smidgens of olive oil, and for spices, turmeric, ginger, oregano and cayenne pepper. Oh, and green tea and rooibus tea. Lots of both. 

Red wine is allowed, praise the Lord! 

I work with a trainer at a gym for an hour three days a week. The other four, and sometimes even on those three, I spend forty-five minutes to an hour on a treadmill in our basement, and I push both the incline and the speed to the point where I stumble off it, panting and sweating and yelling upstairs to Nancy that she'd better call 911.

Nancy, of course, is Joe's wife. A very lovely woman that I met once at the house in Wasilla, and a person that Joe is very lucky to have by his side. She will definitely take good care of him.

As you can tell Joe is not one to sugar coat things and goes on to offer his usual no frills assessment of his condition. He is upbeat but still remains firmly reality based.

Before you ask, yes I did send him some of the links that all of you provided, and I am sure he is very appreciative of your concern.

Joe does have some projects in the works that sound very interesting, so yes he still plans on producing more amazing literature for all of us to enjoy.

Personally I plan on buying everything he produces from now on. (Of course I would have done that even without the cancer.)

If I receive anymore updates, and Joe gives his permission, I will gladly share them with you. But for right now I guess the best thing we can do is to keep a positive thought and follow Joe's example by make our own healthy choices as well.

Because as Joe says, "In a battle between mortality and an individual, mortality always wins."

Yes it does but it should always know that it is in for a hell of a fight first.

Some troubling news about our friend Joe.

Courtesy of Yahoo News:  

Author-journalist Joe McGinniss says he was diagnosed in May with advanced prostate cancer but is responding well to treatment and feels "terrific." 

The 70-year-old McGinniss is best known for controversial works such as "The Selling of the President" and "Fatal Vision." On Wednesday, he posted on his Facebook page that he had "inoperable, terminal, metastatic prostate cancer." He confirmed the diagnosis in response to an email from The Associated Press and in a subsequent Facebook posting. 

McGinniss told the AP that he has no symptoms and is eager to write more books and magazine articles.

This is certainly an upsetting way to end the day.

Joe was, and continues to be, a great friend, and I have every confidence that he will "not go gentle into that good night." But instead  "rage, rage against the dying of the light."

I still remember sitting with Joe on the porch of his rented house in Wasilla, looking out over that dead lake and sharing stories about Alaska on one of the most beautiful summer days that I can remember. Not a memory that I will soon forget, and I hope that he returns someday soon so we can pick up where we left off that day.

This country owes Joe McGinniss an incredible debt of gratitude for exposing Sarah Palin to the world. Not to mention the fact that they owe him for the many OTHER wonderful books that he had written before.

I am fortunate to have TWO books in my library signed by Joe, "Going to Extremes" and of course "The Rogue."  I will treasure them always.

Hopefully they will soon be joined by the NEXT book that Joe writes as well.

I am not sure why more Christians don't do this?

 I am a fan of Anne Rice and I remember quite well when she made this statement. 

At the time I remembered how odd I thought it was since MOST people leave Christianity because they have determined that they are nonbelievers, but Rice determined that the Christianity of today did not have enough Jesus in it.

Here is a portion of an interview she gave in August of that year:

 Q) You were raised Catholic, became an atheist, then returned to Catholicism in 1998. Why are you quitting now? It's not as if the church has suddenly changed. 

A) Well, I've been living with this now for 12 years, and I've come to the conclusion from my experience with organized religion that I have to leave, that I have to, in the name of Christ, step away from this. It's a matter of rejecting what I've discovered about the persecution of gays, the persecution and oppression of women and the actions of the churches on many different levels. I've also found that I can't find a basis in Scripture for a lot of the positions that churches and denominations take today, and I can't find any basis at all for an anointed, hierarchical priesthood. So all of this finally created a pressure in me, a kind of confusion, a toxic anger at times, and I felt I had to step aside. And that's what I've done.

Now today, having thought about it for just about two years, it seems to me that Anne Rice has made a decision that, frankly I would not be at all surprised to see many more Christians making in the years to come. Essentially leaving the Christian religion, not due to a crisis of faith, but due to the feeling that their religion no longer has ANYTHING significant to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Of course as you know I am an Atheist, so I am interested in how my Christian visitors feel about Ms. Rice's statement and decision. Feel free to chime in.

Let's clear the air a little, shall we?

I thought I would take a moment to clear up a couple of things this rainy Saturday afternoon.

Some have been asking what will become of IM with Palin no longer running.  I believe I addressed my feelings about that fairly well here. But for the slower folks, let me remind you that this blog has been in existence since November of 2004, well BEFORE Palin burst onto the national scene. I think I will manage to find things to write about regardless of what Sister Sarah chooses to do in the future.

While we are on the topic of me and this "defunct" blog, many of you have taken to pointing out to me whenever I am under attack on another website, whether it be Right Wing, or more on our side of the ideological fence.

I know that most of you are just trying to be helpful, but I have to admit that I usually don't bother going over to see what they are saying. I don't see how it helps me to do what I do, and it only provides more hits to people so desperate for them that they launch unprovoked attacks against IM.

That kind of seems counter productive, don't you agree?

I also understand that my favorite song has been playing out there on the internets. The "Gryphen is no longer pursuing new information, and has jumped the shark" song. Oh if I had a dime.

That is going to be especially embarrassing to certain people (yet again), after I finish the post I have been working on for the last several days. But hey, if you think I have nothing of interest to offer than I certainly encourage you to look at other blogs and websites. Actually I encourage you to do that REGARDLESS of what I have to offer.

By the way concerning this last post on Levi and Bristol, I am currently waiting for some new information that might completely change the direction of my post.  (Just so you know, I now believe the revelations I am working on to be the key to the truth behind Sarah's fake pregnancy.) If I am unable to get my hands on this new data I may have to publish my post without a clear conclusion. Much like I did with Two Babies.

As you are all aware over time more professionals weighed in and confirmed my findings from that post, and now most of us simply accept that there were in fact at LEAST two babies introduced as Trig Paxson Van Palin.

When I first published it I received a hell of a lot of blowback and I anticipate the same this time out.

And just to wrap up this post, and on the topic of "blowback," I am going to ask a favor of you.

Fred's "babygate" book is nearing completion, and the website is about to be rolled out for all of you to visit. However one of the concerns has been an anticipated attack, designed to derail the project and keep it from being published. This may be similar to the attack that Frank Bailey's first publishers suffered, and it will certainly be much like what Joe McGinniss has recently faced while publicizing The Rogue. (BTW Joe was originally scheduled to be on Real Time last night, but wasn't, so add Bill Maher to your list of cowards afraid of Sarah Palin and the corporations that back her.)

The reason I need your help is that the attacks now being readied against Fred's book are NOT coming from the Right Wing.  They may appear to be Palin supporters and conservatives that are throwing out accusations and attempting to undermine the validity of the findings, but they are NOT!

Just like the leaked e-mail used to derail Joe's book, the attacks on Fred's book will also be coming from those that many of you believe ONLY want the truth about Sarah Palin to reach the widest audience imaginable.

But some have an agenda focused solely on their OWN personal desire for fame and recognition, and will jealously and aggressively attack anybody who they feel is taking the limelight away from them.

Remind you of anybody?

So all that I ask is that you retain a healthy dose of skepticism, and consider the source before buying into what they say. I should not, at this point, have to indicate which blogs might be behind this, but I will suggest that the actual attacks will most likely come from Stacy McCain, Dan Riehl, or even Andrew Breitbart.

Though to be honest, now that Palin has made all of them look like fools, they may not be quite so anxious to provide cover for the Judas's that lurk among us. Which might actually serve to flush them out into the open.

So keep your eyes peeled and your ears perked, nothing about revealing the truth concerning Sarah Palin has EVER been easy and I do not expect the publication of Fred's book to be any different.

Oh well, if this job were easy the mainstream media would have done it.

Leah Burton, of "God's Own Party," announces the release of her long anticipated book "God, Guns, & Greed."

Courtesy of God's Own Party:

I attribute Palin’s meteoric rise for prompting me to jump back into the world of politics. The announcement on August 29th, 2008 that Sarah Palin was the vice presidential running mate to John McCain just about gave me whiplash and knocked me from my desk chair. In a matter of seconds, I knew that I had to begin writing about the world of Political Dominionism and Sarah Palin. 

So, in honor of this woman bringing so much attention to herself – and simultaneously - to the world of religious extremism in American politics I am announcing the release of my book on the 3rd anniversary of her walk onto the world stage in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Republican National Convention September 4th, 2008. 

Here is the official announcement:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

God, Guns & Greed 

Forward by Dr. Anthea Butler, Graduate Chair Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania 

Author Leah L. Burton 

A Dangerous Path for America 

 God, Guns & Greed is an irreverent look into the rise of religious extremism tying Perry, Bachmann Palin & Co. as not simply a handful of devout Christians. They are political Dominionists and their message is being preached from pulpits across America, reaching an enormous voting bloc of “social conservatives”. 

A debate has ensued over what to call these religious extremists. Whether you call it “Dominionism” or the “New Apostolic Reformation” this fight is real and it affects every American! Dominionists claim authority from Genesis 1:28 mandating that they take dominion and be stewards of this earth until the Second Coming of Christ. Rewriting America’s history is an integral part of their message insisting that America is a Christian Nation and their followers are drinking the Kool-Aid. 

Their efforts are made more powerful by the cross-pollination of non-Dominionists seeking to tear apart government control and regulations. Corporatist’s wealth like the Koch Brothers and Sovereign Citizens disdain for the federal government are just two of the unholy alliances Dominionists make in their common goal to privatize government. It is a win-win for all of them. 

Stepping outside the typical “political book”, Burton exposes their religious messaging and tactics. Pulling from her years of research and experience, she writes in straight forward language about this organized effort – hiding in plain sight – to destroy religious and personal freedom. 

This path for America is a place where freedoms are diminished and theocracy rules. It is a profoundly un-American place. God, Guns & Greed will help inform you what this Movement is and how we can stop it.

I have often said, and I will repeat it here again, that Leah is my "go to" source on Dominionism.  She has made the study of this terrifying branch of fundamentalism the focus of her research for many years now, and I cannot think of anybody whose input I would value more than Leah Burton's on this topic.

I have been one of the few fortunate individuals to have the ability to e-mail or call Leah when I was struggling to understand something about the movement, or trying to find the right words to describe their agenda or progress in the political spectrum.

Now all of you can enjoy that same access to Leah's knowledge base that I have found invaluable for all of these years, by ordering her new book here.

Uh oh! Did the publishers finally realize that Bristol Palin can't write and has nothing important to say? And look, it only took them three days! Update.

From the LA Times:

Bristol Palin, the 20-year-old daughter of the former Alaska governor and current Fox News commentator Sarah Palin is writing a memoir for publication later this year. The younger Palin is best known for her appearances on "Dancing With the Stars" and for having a child at age 18 with on-again, off-again beau Levi Johnston.

Well, she was writing the book -- as of Monday, at least. Entertainment Weekly and the Hollywood Reporter linked to the Amazon.com page for the upcoming book. EW.com writer Keith Staskiewicz added, with no small amount of frustration, "I guess the fact that Bristol Palin is apparently set to write a memoir of her own shouldn’t necessarily make my brain implode in on itself like the house at the end of 'Poltergeist.' "

Since then, Amazon has removed the page from its website. The Associated Press reports that "publicist Seale Ballenger of the Harper imprint William Morrow, the book's presumed publisher, declined to comment Tuesday."

Huh.  Well gee that was kind of sudden..

I mean it was ONLY three days ago that we learned that Bristol was getting ready to write the "Untitled Bristol Palin Memoir" (Catchy title that.).  What could possibly have brought the publisher's to their senses in such a short period of time?

Did you guys call William Morrow and tell them that they had a barely functioning illiterate in their stable?  Come on, you can tell you Uncle Gryphen, did you?

Because if you did that will just reinforce the Grizzled Mama's belief that I am "trying to destroy her children."

Of course as we all know I am really just trying to destroy her political career and ability to influence others, but she keeps tossing her kids in the way to deflect criticism. Bad Mama Grizzly, bad!

Update: Perhaps I spoke to soon.  It looks like the publishers have NOT come to their senses and the book is still scheduled to be published in on August 1st.  Somehow  I don't think that anybody will still be all that interested in the Palin family by then however. 

Sarah Palin may have just tweeted the ammunition that Joe McGinniss needed to file a lawsuit against her over the use of his name and image on her crappy un-reality show. Update!

Earlier today the Grizzled Mama sent out this tweet:

Will discuss Fed's quantitative easing plan(print $ out of thin air)tmrrw@ tools trade assn speech;then edit addl "Sarah Palin's AK"episodes
10 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Did you catch that?  According to Sarah Palin herself, SHE has control over the editing process on her reality show. In other words whatever images, or dialogue they use for the show are given a thumbs up directly by HER. (Read her tweet again.  She does not say she will "help to edit," she simply says she will "edit.")

Which means that everything included in this clip below, which was proudly displayed on TLC's "SPA" website (Don't bother looking now because for SOME reason it was replaced), was something that Sarah Palin, ex-Governor, ex-VP nominee, and now reality television show editor, put her stamp of approval on.

Now isn't that interesting?

Earlier When Joe McGinniss became aware that his image was being used without his permission, and that his character was about to be assassinated on television sets all across the country, he had his lawyers draft a warning to those he believed responsible.

At that time he addressed his concerns to the people in charge of creating the reality show, not the subject of the show herself.  However NOW that Mr. McGinniss has been informed, by Ms. Palin herself no less, that said star has final say over the editing process, it looks like the author might have an even stronger case against his ex-neighbor than he had against the shows producers or creators.

In fact it appears, at least to my mind, that Palin purposefully filmed, and chose to broadcast, that portion in an effort to further damage the author's credibility in order to sabotage his ability to sell the finished product. I am assuming that it is part of her larger effort to minimize the impact that learning the truth about the Grizzled Mama may have on potential supporters, as well as the voting public.

If Joe's lawyer can prove that damaging his ability to sell his book, and therefore make a living, was Sister Sarah's intent, and don't forget we also have the evidence of her earlier Facebook rant as well, then I think Mr. McGinniss might have a very strong case indeed.

What do you think?

(H/T to Sarah Jones for connecting the dots earlier.)

Update: According to the New Yorker there was more of Joe McGinniss in that first episode than we first realized:

And then “Wow” again. When they arrive back home, Palin attempts to poison Piper’s little mind with her mean-girl attitude. “See, we one-upped him, Piper,” she says of McGinniss. “We had a good day. And he’s stuck in his house.” (Actually, the camera finds him sitting outside on his porch, reading a book.)

Wow!  Has there EVER been a more immature, spiteful individual on the political scene than Sarah Palin?

Well since Richard Nixon that is.

Glenn Beck clenches his pudgy little fists and stumbles to Sarah Palin's defense.

From Mediaite:

Palin apparently sent Beck an email last night before posting the news on her Facebook telling him McGinniss’ presence was a “nightmare for our family.” Beck thinks McGinniss moving next door is the equivalent of stalking, is “really creepy” and that “Todd Palin should receive a medal for restraint.” Beck also issued this threat:


If you don’t get control of your authors I will never mention a Random House book ever again. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I tend to sell books, not just my books, but books from other publishers.

I can only imagine that Random House is pissing themselves in sheer horror that the "Beckerheads" of the world will not purchase any of their books. I just don't think that connect-the-dots and coloring books makes up a very large part of their merchandise.

Here is video of Beck's childish little rant.



Okay just to clarify, Todd is by no stretch of the imagination a "bad ass".  But even funnier than that is hearing pudgy little Glenn Beck talking about "you keep pounding my wife you get your ass kicked!" (But what if she liked it?)

And Joe McGinniss presents NO threat to Sarah Palin and her family.  He is a writer for God's sake!  The guy is there to gather information and put it into a book, and that is all.  Though to be honest the one thing that Sarah fears more than anything is the truth, and Joe is definitely here to discover the truth.

Did that idiot really claim that Todd Palin wrestles "bears and Santa with his bare hands"?  What kind of prepubescent idolatry is that?